Legacy Phuket Gazette
- Property
By the Book: Tips on handling property transactions
PHUKET: With the island’s real estate market staying strong, some owners could be thinking of selling their property. If so, here are some tips for making this move. Establishing a Price Consider what you paid for the property, how long you have lived there, what similar properties have sold for, any improvements added, present condition of the property, ask the…
- Phuket News
Underpass construction digs in with delays
PHUKET: The need to remove more than 100 utility poles in preparation for building the Chalong Underpass ‘may’ delay the start of construction until next year. “It is hard work to remove that many poles on both sides of the road, while ensuring as few people are affected as possible. The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) Region 2 office, located in…
- Thai Life
On Your Mind: Look at China when weighing booze ban
PHUKET: China’s family planning policy, also known as the one-child policy, is a method to control population in that country. The policy was introduced in 1978 as a means of combating overpopulation, and while the policy has been somewhat successful in curbing China’s birthrate, it has fostered a host of other problems. Among these new issues are: leaving one adult…
- Opinion
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Flexible morals
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
- Phuket News
Officials nab illegal Korean tour guide at work
PHUKET: A South Korean national was arrested in Chalong today for working as an illegal tour guide for Narae Travel Co Ltd. Phuket Immigration Police, together with the Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS) Phuket Office officials, apprehended Byoung Wook Lim, 43, while he was guiding a group at Chalong Pier. “We seized a list of tour programs, customer names…
- Thai Life
Video Report: Sensational results from Trapani, Librodo Bohemian workshop
PHUKET: Social media was flooded with stunning and mesmerizing images following the wrap up of the Bohemian photography workshop at the Banyan Tree in Phuket last month Big name co-host and Sony ambassador for the Philippines Manny Librodo helped to draw a large crowd of participants and added a new dimension to the workshop, explained Adriano Trapani, who developed the…
- Phuket News
Triathlon training tips
PHUKET: We are now approaching the final weeks before the Laguna Phuket Triathlon and these next 8 weeks are vital to help you prepare for the race ahead, but it’s also a perfect time to challenge yourself. Here are some top tips compiled by Thanyapura’s Head Triathlon Coach Sergio Borges. HEAT AND HUMIDITY If you’re coming from overseas, I believe…
- Phuket News
Video Report: New Phuket Governor starts first day in office
PHUKET: The island’s newest top official appointed by Bangkok, Phuket Governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada, is settling into his first day of work after arriving to fanfare yesterday. Hundreds of people greeted Governor Chamroen and his wife, Wassana, when they arrived at Phuket International Airport yesterday afternoon. The Phuket local, and a former vice governor of the island, was then taken to…
- Phuket News
Hundreds to “Bike for Governor’
PHUKET: About 200 cyclists will mount their bicycles to bid farewell to Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong tomorrow. The idea of the ride was tabled by Rawai Mayor Aroon Solos, who enjoys cycling and joined the national ‘Bike For Mom’ event in honor of HM Queen Sirikit’s 83rd birthday in August. The national cycling event broke the Guinness world record for…
- Phuket News
Jet-skis to rule roost for high season
PHUKET: Jet-skis will continue to offer their services on Phuket beaches this high season, Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong confirmed yesterday. “We will be implementing the same zones as last year to separate jet-skis and swimmers to ensure everyone’s safety,” Governor Nisit said. “I am aware that a lot of people do not want jet-skis on our beaches, as they have…
- Phuket News
Phuket prepares for King’s Cup Regatta 2015
PHUKET: The island is readying its sails for the King’s Cup Regatta 2015, which will take place off of Kata Bay from December 5 to December 12. Hosting international racing classes, the event will see more than 150 boats and 1,500 sailors competing for one of sailings most prestigious trophies. Inaugurated in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of HM…
- Thai Life
Getting a foreign divorce in Thailand
PHUKET: Recently our firm was hired to handle a divorce case. This case was different from the typical family law divorce. The Thai couple met in the United States while attending college. They fell in love and got married in the United States. They completed their university degrees, lived in the United States for a few years, and then returned…
- Phuket News
Russian man found dead in swimming pool
PHUKET: A Russian man was found dead near his swimming pool this morning after his friend discovered him unconscious in the water. When police arrived at the house on Moo 2 in Rawai, they found Oleg Ten, 65, on the ground near the pool, confirmed Capt Patiwat Yodkwan of the Chalong Police. “We found no signs of a struggle and…
- Phuket News
Gov Nisit vouches for Chamroen’s beach management judgment
PHUKET: The new governor will make the right choices for Phuket’s beaches, vowed outgoing Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong today. “I believe that Chamroen Tipayapongtada knows Phuket much better than I do, as he is a native. I think his policies will be what’s best for Phuket,” Governor Nisit told the Phuket Gazette. Gov Nisit will leave his post on Wednesday,…
- Phuket News
Turtle saved after somtam shop owner buys from customer
PHUKET: A female sea turtle has been safely rescued and is now under the care of the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) after it was sold for 300 baht in Cherng Talay yesterday. The Kusoldharm Foundation received a report from Sombat Tannukrork, 48, a somtam shop owner, asking for help for an injured sea turtle that he had bought off…
- Phuket News
Egco ready to fill power supply gap, if Krabi coal plant fails
KRABI: Electricity Generating (Egco) is well positioned to take part in the bidding for new power plants if the government’s coal-fired power projects fail to get off the ground, says its outgoing president. Sahust Pratuknukul said that if the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) was unable to proceed with its Krabi and Thepha coal-fired projects in the South, Egco…
- Opinion
First Person: A fond farewell to Phuket
Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong will soon take up a similar post in Nonthaburi to tackle new projects and challenges. After serving one year here, the governor, originally from Ratchaburi, stepped in with the aim to develop and make much needed changes in Phuket and its future. Here he reflects on his time in Phuket and the work that he is…
- Phuket News
Big wave sweeps fisherman from Phuket rocks
PHUKET: Phuket Marine Police have failed to find a fisherman who was swept from a rock outcropping on Kamala Beach last night “Due to the current weather, it has been very difficult to conduct a thorough search,” said Phuket Marine Police Chief Panya Chaichana today. “Rescue workers and Kamala Police Officers searched the area as soon as Prayat Janmee, 50,…
- Phuket News
One dead, one injured in Kamala motorbike crash
PHUKET: One woman is dead and another seriously injured after the bike they were riding crashed on a steep downward slope as they entered Kamala last night. “We’ve yet to identify the deceased. However, the other woman had an ID card on her, which named her as Yanika Midseang, 22,” said Lt Col Somneuk Dumkaew of the Kamala Police. “She…
- Phuket News
Tourist drowns at Kata Noi Beach
PHUKET: A Chinese tourist drowned after being swept out to sea from a red-flag zone at Kata Noi Beach late yesterday afternoon. “According to witnesses, 26-year-old Junan Liu and his friend ignored warning signs and were playing in an unsafe section of the water when a big wave struck him and dragged him out to sea,” said Lt Chatree Chuwichian…
- Opinion
Opinion: Free road accidents
PHUKET: Year after year, the vehicle population of Phuket has been growing rapidly, expressing itself dramatically in the island’s ever-worsening traffic problems. After 12 years here, I would say that the traffic is now worse than ever. It’s no wonder that the governor decided to spend money in order to reduce the congestion by building underpasses in certain areas. However,…
- Phuket News
Human-trafficking crackdowns return empty handed
PHUKET: The two-month crackdown on human smuggling and human trafficking on the island came up empty handed, despite several such cases ‘organically’ surfacing just last year. Last June, two debt-trapped Cambodians were freed from Phuket Town after officers were tipped off by one of the victim’s relatives (story here). Earlier that year, a 10-year-old Cambodian boy and his 6-year-old sister…
- Business News
Business Buzz: Value in organic search results
PHUKET: While I believe that because of Social Media (Optimization), Search Engine Optimization (SEO) itself is becoming less relevant, there is no doubt it is still important to get organic search results, especially with Google and YouTube, by far the leading search engines. Although the algorithm for ranking is constantly changed by Google, it is possible to analyze trends and…
- Opinion
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Flip-flop expats
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
- Phuket News
Russian tourist’s stolen phone recovered
PHUKET: A Myanmar national was arrested yesterday after being tracked down in Kathu for allegedly stealing a mobile phone from a Russian tourist. Dmithy Surkov, 32, reported that his phone was stolen from Patong Beach on September 12, said Phuket Tourist Police Chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit. “We tracked down the phone on September 19, when we were able to see that…
- Phuket News
Special Report: Paddling against child abuse
PHUKET: A great white shark knocked Damien Rider from his paddle board during one of eleven shark encounters he faced as he paddled 800 kilometers from Rainbow Bay, Gold Coast, to Bondi Beach, Sydney, in January 2015. However, the demon that he was battling wasn’t below the ocean’s surface, but in the vivid world of abuse that he endured as…
- Phuket News
Phuket’s new vice governors announced
PHUKET: The Interior Ministry yesterday announced Phuket’s three new vice governors, who will be taking their posts on October 1. The vice governors were named as: Prajiad Aksornthammakul, Phuket Provincial Office chief; Chokdee Amornwat, Department of Local Administration inspector in Bangkok; and Kajornkiet Rakpanitmanee, Provincial Office chief, Suphan Buri. Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak will be retiring this year, while Vice…
- Opinion
Opinion: Paddle boarder’s laudable mission
PHUKET: The efforts of Australian paddle boarder Damien Rider to raise awareness of child abuse, which is an important, yet seldom-discussed, topic deserves the support of everyone on the island. At first glance, an 800-kilometer solo paddle board expedition through some of the planet’s most notoriously shark-infested waters in Australia might seem an impractical and dangerous way to try to…
- Thai Life
Up in the air: Nok Air plans big push in Phuket
PHUKET: Low-cost carrier Nok Air hopes to better tap into the potential of Phuket’s large foreign market over the next high season, an executive told the Phuket Gazette recently. Pinyot Pibulsongkram, a Nok Air Vice President, told ‘Up in the Air’ that Nok currently has five daily flights between Bangkok and Phuket, with six flights on Fridays and Sundays. Nok…
- Phuket News
New route set to reduce Bang Khu traffic jams
PHUKET: In an effort to reduce traffic congestion at the Bang Khu underpass construction site (where the bypass road intersects with Thepkrasattri Rd, at Toyota Pearl), officials are testing a new route that requires switching off traffic lights at the normally busy intersection. Starting on October 1, motorists heading from town to Koh Kaew will have to turn left and…
